


Pushing Limits

by its_crystal_queer



Series: The Stomach Trials [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Belly Kink, Belly Rubs, Burping, F/F, Gen, Homeworld Era, Pink Diamond Theory, Pre-Canon, Stuffing, i'm an absolutely horrible person this is what i came up with after last nights episode
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-25 14:09:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4963660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/its_crystal_queer/pseuds/its_crystal_queer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Are you excited?” Pink asked, reaching for her cutlery. She summoned an extra set for Pearl and patted the seat beside her, which Pearl gingerly lowered herself down into.<br/>“If you wish for me to be excited, my lady, I am sure I will be.”</p><p>(Before the rebellion, there was a time Rose Quartz was somebody else, Pearl was just another pearl and when it came down to it, Pink Diamond really didn't feel like dining alone.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pushing Limits

**Author's Note:**

> I can't actually believe myself  
> After that beautiful empowering episode came out last night the first thing that hit me was 'oh my god what if rose ended up stuffing pearl senselessly back on homeworld since pearls were essentially living dolls they could do have their ways with'  
> pearl is my fave, what is wrong with me. i'm a terrible person

“I do love having your service, my Pearl,” Pink Diamond sighed happily, dabbing at her lips.

Gems didn't need to eat, she knew that, but food and drink was a luxury that higher class gems could afford to order, and Pink prided herself in being one of the few rare gems to order the most exquisite of meals, her supply rich and plentiful. Each was without fail diligently prepared by other staff of Pink Diamond's quarters, but most noticeably was served up by her pearl, who was young and inquisitive, though tried hard as she might to stifle the urge to absorb all knowledge.

Pink was proud of her pearl. She had seen others, and while she was enamoured by inner beauty, she couldn't deny her pearl was far cuter than the pearls owned by the other diamonds. She was dressed in rich silks, pale blues and purples adorned with pink trimmings and a pink diamond emblem on her chest, lying perfectly shaped against a curved but ultimately flat chest cavity. She was an incredibly cute pearl, pale eyes wide and doe-like, her hair sleek and short and a pale strawberry blonde that shone pink in the lighting of Pink's living quarters, cropped around her ears in a clean flick outwards. It reminded her of the rare whipped cream she personally had imported from Betelgeuse, smooth and slick, ending in a perfect minute trimmed tail.

Without fail, she was an absolutely adorable pearl, and Pink couldn't be more pleased to have her waiting on her.

“It is my pleasure, my lady,” Pearl replied meekly, bowing her head a little. It went without saying that Pearl was immensely relieved to be in the service of Pink Diamond; the temperament of the diamonds varied, but she knew no other would have such patience, such infatuation for the baroque pearl jutting from her forehead, such adoration for the numerous miscalculations and clumsy efforts Pearl had made over the near two thousand years she had been serving her. She already knew that many of the pearls in her unit had been destroyed or relocated by now, a black mark beside their registration. It was almost with pride that she carried herself these days, proud for having made it this far after being almost scrapped on the day of her birth due to the fact that the great Pink Diamond was expecting a perfect pearl as opposed to an ovular baroque.

For some reason, Pink Diamond had wanted her to speak, as well. Pearls were accessories, a status symbol designed to show off the wealth of a gem, especially if they were dressed in fine silks and ordered to perform a dance in the company of others – but Pink had wanted to hear her voice, a melodious song, opinions and greetings and stapled phrases spilling from the thin lips of her concubine. She'd requested Pearl call her Pink as well, in the privacy of Pink's living chambers. It was an almost unheard of request, but Pearl obliged, if only to satisfy her lady's desires.

“Tell me, Pearl, have you ever tried food before?” Pink asked, as Pearl reached for her now empty plate. Pearl shook her head.

“No, my lady. A pearl is not required to eat.”

“Yes, but have you ever wanted to?” Pink asked. Pearl replied without taking a moment to consider the option.

“Eating would detract from my duties of serving you, my lady.”

“You can call me Pink now, Pearl, the caterers are gone.”

“As you wish, Pink.”

Pink Diamond leaned back in her seat a little.

“But theoretically, you could eat if I gave you permission,” Pink stated.

Pearl hesitated before answering.

“In theory, pearls are most likely _capable_ of-”

“Then I think we should dine together tonight, don't you?”

Pearl's eyes widened.

“B-But a pearl can't dine with a diamond, that's – oh, but, it's your will – but if anyone were to find out-”

“They won't. Please relax, Pearl, your worries are unnecessary,” Pink said dismissively, waving her hand. “Honestly. Would you be so kind as to order two more helpings of what I just finished? With some of the sparkling fruit beverage I was presented with, it was truly lovely. The whole bottle, if you will, I'd like us to distribute it equally.”

“O-Of course, my lady.”

Pearl trotted out of the room quickly, heading towards the kitchens, and Pink closed her eyes and exhaled. Was it cruel to pressure Pearl to do this? Probably, yes. Even if pearls were expected to do as their figures of authority dictated, it still felt a little mean to expect her to do this. But what if she was only objecting because it was her duty to do so? Shouldn't it have been her decision all along whether or not to dine with Pink? The way pearls were wired truly messed with their individual thinking patterns, and though Pink's unspoken experiment to tweak her pearl towards independence was taking copious amounts of time, it was true that she had made progress. What other pearl would call her mistress by her name in private? What other pearl would speak out of turn for their owners?

Truthfully, the concept of pearls had always fascinated Pink, and since receiving one as a gift from White Diamond she had been adamant to see just how far she could push, just how much encouragement a pearl needed before breaking their own laws. A pearl with a belly full of warm food was something she had never heard of before, and the idea had been nagging at her for a while. It wouldn't hurt anyone. If Pearl truly couldn't handle eating she could just expel it from her body, easy. Pink had no social commitments coming up, so there would be time for Pearl to digest and later rid her body of the evidence, and in turn Pink would come to understand how her pearl worked a little better than before. It seemed like a flawless plan, so long as Pearl was willing.

When Pearl returned a while later, she was holding the plates of food elegantly in her hands. After placing them upon the table, she reached into her gem and retrieved a bottle of the dark sparkling liquid. It had been carbonated, something Pink had only tried once before, and it was beautifully sweet, leaving her stomach and throat with a warm, bubbly feeling. She couldn't wait for Pearl to try it too.

“Are you excited?” Pink asked, reaching for her cutlery. She summoned an extra set for Pearl and patted the seat beside her, which Pearl gingerly lowered herself down into.

“If you wish for me to be excited, my lady, I am sure I will be.”

“No, I mean, are _you_ excited? How do you feel about the idea of eating food, Pearl?”

“...Well,” Pearl began, fiddling with her hands. She remembered the scowl on Pink's head chef's face – 'pearls should stand still and keep quiet, fidgeting is a sign of a defective gem, you know' – and abruptly stopped, instead sitting up straighter, holding her head higher. “I – I am looking forward to it.”

“Hmm.” Pink said nothing else, figuring that was the best response she would get given the circumstances, and she twirled the food around her fork. Spaghetti all the way from Rigel, with a sauce made on a moon that would be gone within the next ten years (she would definitely be stocking up and bubbling this sauce while it lasted – she was already so fond of it, it was a pity the moon was set for destruction so soon). Pink had always prided herself on just how much she ate, so the plates were piled with a rather generous helping, with extra sauce provided in a small pot that Pearl withdrew from her gem moments later.

“I know I said we could eat together, but I really would like to feed you myself, Pearl,” Pink cooed, reaching up to smooth down a stray bang from Pearl's cheek. Her adorable pearl blushed a deep cyan.

“My lady, I wouldn't wish for your food to get cold, or for you to trouble yourself with-”

“It's no trouble, my dear, I insist,” Pink said quickly. She captured the second plate of heaping spaghetti in a bubble, resting it on the table. “Look, see? It won't lose any of its heat within the bubble. We can pick right up where we left off.”

Pearl chewed her lip, but stopped as Pink lifted a forkful of spaghetti towards her mouth. Pearl stared at the offending item for a few moments, glancing between the fork and Pink fearfully, before opening her mouth just the tiniest fraction.

“Oh – Pearl, you have shifted yourself a digestive system, haven't you?” Pink asked quickly. “If you haven't, it'll fall right out of you.”

If possible, her cute pearl blushed a more vibrant blue and closed her eyes in concentration. Pink felt a little bad at this point, she knew how unfamiliar Pearl was with shapeshifting and knew that she found it difficult. It took almost a minute, but finally Pearl's muscles relaxed and she opened her eyes again.

“I believe I have shifted an adequate system. It may be slow or slightly dysfunctional but I-”

“I don't need perfection for this, my pearl, I promise. So long as the basic properties are in place, it shouldn't be a problem.”

Pearl nodded.

“It is in place, my lady.”

“Good.” Pink pushed the spaghetti into Pearl's mouth and watched her chew, her eyes widening in surprise, before glancing at Pink a little worriedly.

“You must swallow, my dear,” she prompted kindly. “You can do it, pet, it's just a matter of performing a gulping motion...”

She imitated it and after a few failed attempts Pearl managed to swallow effectively. Pink watched as the visible shape slid down her throat. The rest was left to the imagination, but not for long, given how lithe her sweet pearl's form was.

“How was that?” she asked, dabbing a little at Pearl's mouth. There was a ring of sauce surrounding her mouth that she wiped away carefully.

“It was – it – it was very flavoursome,” Pearl said truthfully.

“Did you like it?”

Pearl considered.

“...It was a pleasant taste. I am not very accustomed to consuming food, so I cannot give a validated opinion on the technical aspect of swallowing.”

“That's quite all right. We'll feed you a little more, see if you warm up to it, all right?”

Pearl nodded, and Pink scooped up a second forkful, eager to keep filling up her pearl.

By the time half of the plate was cleared, Pearl's small belly was beginning to show signs of being full, an adorable curve sticking out slightly from her form-fitting silk robe. Pink wished to pepper it with kisses, but found she wanted to push Pearl a little further.

“My lady?” peeped Pearl in a small voice, as Pink began to scrape up another forkful.

“Yes, my lovely pearl?”

“With no disrespect intended, I – I don't think my construct has a large enough stomach capacity to hold much more.”

“Why, do you feel nauseous?”

“I don't think so,” Pearl replied nervously. “It's just, my construct, it's... protruding.”

How cute. Pink bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning at how adorable her pearl was.

“Oh, that's normal when one eats, Pearl. I just have a much bigger capacity, which is why you don't see me in this way very often. I'm sure you can handle plenty more than this.”

“Oh.” Pearl nodded, glancing down and running a hand across her stomach. Pink went to feed her the next mouthful, then stopped and considered.

“Would you like something to drink, my pearl?”

“I-If you wish for me to drink, my lady.”

“I'll take that as a yes, then.” She unscrewed the bottle and giggled as the carbonation sprayed her hand slightly. She clamped the lid back on until the fizz had died down a little, giggling again at her adorable pearl's concerned expression. “Oh, don't worry your dear head about that, Pearl.”

She unscrewed the cap again, wiped the bottle dry with a napkin, and prompted Pearl to tilt her head back a little. She complied, and Pink brought the bottle to her lips. She began to drink, gulping a little too readily, and Pink grinned at Pearl's enthusiasm. Or was it a readiness to get it over with? She couldn't quite tell, but her pearl appeared to be enjoying herself.

She downed a good quarter of the bottle before Pink pulled it away, allowing Pearl to gather her bearings. She took a few deep breaths, and her face looked oddly panicky.

“Are you all right, Pearl?”

“I-I don't know.” Her face was screwed up a little in concentration, and for a moment Pink feared she had pushed her pearl too far, and that she might be sick; but instead out ripped a deep belch that seemed to frighten her. She flinched at the sound and her hands flew to her mouth.

“Oh, oh dear, I'm so sorry, my lady, I have no idea what just happened,” she began frantically, shivering a little. She burped again, more softly this time, and whimpered. “Oh my, I-I'm terribly sorry, I must have done something wrong when shapeshifting my digestive system-”

“Oh, my sweet pearl, you don't need to worry about that, it's normal,” Pink assured her with a warm laugh. “When we eat or drink excessively, gas builds up in the stomach and has to be expelled, what you did was perfectly normal. Albeit a little louder than I expected. What a surprise that was!”

She didn't think it was possible for Pearl to blush even bluer, but somehow she managed it, positively glowing with embarrassment. Tears built up in her eyes – a rare sight, even for a pearl as emotionally-inclined as herself – and Pink wiped them away gently.

“Now now, no need for tears. You're in my company now, nobody else's. You need not worry about what other gems might think.”

“I worry about what _you_ think, my lady,” Pearl said tearfully, fists curling and uncurling anxiously. “What I did was awfully crass – I didn't even cover my mouth the first time, I-I'm so ashamed-”

“Shh, you didn't know,” Pink said gently, stroking Pearl's hair gently. Really, her pearl was so terribly cute, she couldn't stand it sometimes. She leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. “There, there. I hate to see you so upset, my pearl.”

“I'm sorry,” she whispered.

It took a good ten minutes to calm her down completely, and Pink was beginning to feel pretty guilty for duping her pearl into what was clearly not the nicest introduction to eating, but eventually Pearl bravely picked up the fork from Pink's hands (their hands brushed ever so slightly, Pink thought dizzily, and Pearl seemed to notice given the blush staining her cheeks, though perhaps decided not to mention it in the hopes that Pink was oblivious to what had transpired) and brought it to her mouth.

“What a good pearl,” murmured Pink, and Pearl's face shone a little with unspoken pride. How cute. Just when Pink thought she couldn't get any cuter.

She took over from Pearl, gathering more food up onto the fork and tenderly feeding it to her, and Pearl eagerly consumed it, perhaps trying to stay on Pink's good side after what had happened before. She managed three quarters of the remaining spaghetti before moving her head away a little from Pink's next forkful.

“What is it, my Pearl?” asked Pink.

“P-Permission to, um,” Pearl began, already blushing. It took Pink a moment to understand and she shook her head fondly. What did she do to deserve such a cute little thing?

“You don't need permission to burp, Pearl, just do it when you have to.”

She raised a small fist to her mouth, turning her head away from Pink before letting out a rather airy sounding belch, followed by a smaller, softer one. Her entire body flexed with the action, something Pink found especially adorable. She turned back, head lowered in shame.

“Excuse me, my lady.”

“Good girl,” Pink said in a low voice. She ducked down and planted a kiss on the end of Pearl's rather pointed nose, and her pearl's face grew warm at the praise. “My lovely dear Pearl.”

She reached over and palmed her pearl's belly, now taut with food. It was the cutest she had ever seen her pearl, and she couldn't help but grin.

“How are you feeling?”

“Um. Very... filled up,” Pearl tried to articulate. “I'm sorry, my lady, I have no idea, um. How to describe the feeling.”

“That's all right. I have to leave some things up to the imagination, don't I?” Her eyes crinkled slightly and Pearl smiled back nervously. “Do you want to keep going?”

Oh dear, it was that frantic look again.

“I-If my lady wishes-”

“Pearl. Please do call me Pink right now, we're alone. And this isn't about what I wish, I need to know when you reach your limit in case you end up getting sick. I wouldn't want my favourite pearl to be in a bad way, would I?”

“O-Oh,” Pearl said, and swallowed. “I, um... I think I could probably finish the plate...”

“Excellent.” She ruffled Pearl's hair, giggling as it sat up in tufts, like the downy feathers of a bird. “I'm very proud of you, my dear.”

The last few mouthfuls were slightly more challenging for Pearl, though she chewed and swallowed diligently. She watched Pink with wide eyes, perhaps ambling after more praise for finishing. When the plate was well and truly empty, Pink pressed a kiss to the gem in the centre of Pearl's forehead, smiling into it as she felt it warm up involuntarily at her touch. She patted Pearl's belly, looking as distended as that of a carrying gem.

“Would you like a drink? I imagine your throat must be feeling a little dry.”

Pearl hesitated for a moment, perhaps thinking back to what had transpired earlier, before nodding slowly. Pink beamed and, once again disregarding the goblets on the table, brought the rim of the bottle to Pearl's lips and tipped it back, allowing her to drink. Just before the halfway point, Pink drew it back, and Pearl only waited a few moments before turning away to burp a little more forcefully into the back of her hand.

“Excuse me...”

“How are you feeling now, Pearl?” Pink asked gently. “I imagine your little tummy is pretty full by this point?”

“Oh, yes,” breathed Pearl, closing her eyes for a few moments and rubbing the side of her belly. It was starting to ache a little. “It's very, very full, Pink.”

Pink's lips quirked up into a smile at the mention of her name.

“I imagine so. May I touch?”

Pearl nodded quickly. “Of course, Pink. It is my duty to offer my services however you wish.”

Pink rubbed her hand across Pearl's belly, her hand slipping easily against the fine silk she was clothed in. A small burp bubbled out from her at Pink's touch, and she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth with a blush.

“Oh, excuse me, I-I'm so sorry, Pink.”

Most pearls would have near wet themselves in fear if they had done that in front of her, Pink couldn't help but muse while sweetly brushing off Pearl's apology. But then again, Pearl wasn't like the others. Pink had changed her, and she knew that something as silly as this was just the beginning of something far more precious for the hundreds of pearls in existence.

“I know it was a very generous portion, but I don't suppose you could fit in another plate, could you?” Pink wondered idly. “I have many vials of healing tears in my drawer, it wouldn't be any trouble to give you one to help you digest a little easier.”

“Oh, but, s-surely it could be important for another purpose one day,” Pearl said quickly. “You couldn't possibly waste it on myself.”

“My darling, you're important too. I want to provide you comfort, as best I can.”

Pearl hesitated, before nodding slowly. “I-If you really could spare it...”

“Wonderful.” She tilted Pearl's head back to down the tears, and after a few minutes (and a few rather upset-sounding belches) Pearl's bloating seemed to have gone down a significant amount, and she sighed contentedly, sitting back a little with both hands holding her stomach. Pink continued to massage her, smiling a little at Pearl's vacant expression. It was a lovely contrast to her usual tense face.

At some point, she started feeding some of her own plate of spaghetti to Pearl, but only a third went to her before she groaned in a way that told Pink she really couldn't take much more. With a sympathetic pat on the head, Pink began to tuck into her second plate. By the time she had finished she too was sporting a rather taut belly, and downed the rest of the beverage. When she had slugged back the last of it she placed the bottle rather forcefully on the table and let out a deep burp that made Pearl jump a little, tearing her out of the dazed half-sleep she was in.

“Sorry, Pearl,” Pink said with a laugh. “That was all me.”

“O-Oh. I didn't hear a thing,” insisted Pearl, and that only made Pink laugh harder.

“You don't have to lie to me, you know.” She sighed and leaned back, palming her belly lazily. “This really puts it into perspective, though, doesn't it?”

“Puts what into perspective, Pink?” Pearl ventured.

“That we aren't so different, after all.” Rose motioned first to her distended stomach and then to Pearl's. “Same full belly. Same burps. It doesn't change, even though I'm at the top and you are a serving gem. I wonder how much further I can take this before I am removed once and for all...”

“M-My lady?” Pearl intervened, and when Pink glanced up at her she looked a little afraid. “Removed from what, if you don't mind me asking?”

“Oh, that's not for you to worry about my dear,” Pink dismissed quickly. “I was just talking to myself, that's all.”

As the two lay back, drowsy and full, Pink couldn't help but wonder how much more she could discover about pearls before the other diamonds caught on. Well, she always had wanted overthrow some sort of Homeworld-controlled force, whether it be as trivial as informing the rest of the world that pearls were capable of eating (and producing some seriously wicked intestinal sounds) or as serious as a full-frontal rebellion? It was early days, and Pink was due to head out to Earth again in a few days. Even if explaining to the few that would listen that pearls were more than just pretty collectables to be flaunted in the public eye was small, it was the beginnings of gathering a much wider audience, for causes far more dire.

One day her pearl would become the greatness Pink was expecting of her.

 

**Author's Note:**

> tfw your stuffing fic suddenly gets an inkling of plot towards the end


End file.
